What do readers think of Outside Wonderland by Lorna Jane Cook? Write your own review.

Outside Wonderland is a most interesting book. Its point of view is unique, drawing on our natural curiosity: What happens to us after death? To our loved ones after we’re gone? Will we ever see those already gone before us? Will we see those we leave behind?

The characters were easy to relate to and follow along with during their adventures and misadventures. I wish there was more time spent with the parents and their point of view as well as their reactions to their new surroundings.

Although not for the younger set, young adults on up should have an enjoyable relaxing read.

This book caught my eye as I thought that the plot point of parents having passed and watching their children as they grow was an interesting one. However, although the book and the stories of the children kept me reading to find out more, I found the switch to the view of the parents to be distracting and not a very interesting contribution to the story. Having said this, I did enjoy this book and it kept me interested, but the one thing that drew me to it the most was the only thing that I really did not care for.

After reading the prologue, I convinced myself that I wouldn't like this book. Fortunately, I kept reading and found that it was impossible not to become totally immersed in the lives of these characters. In the end, I found myself wanting to believe that we are being watched over.

It took me some time to get in the flow of the book. I got through the opening chapters where both parents have died and the 3 children are left alone. Each of the children has a story to tell and does it in their own style. Initially, I found it distracting to have the parents in the afterlife discussing the lives and mistakes of their children. I feel that it would be a good book for a book club or discussion group to read. Interesting discussions would center around this book.

I hardly noticed the Chicago blizzard winds howling last night, as I read this book from start to finish. I was initially suspicious that it would be a predictable chick lit read or just a ripoff of The Lovely Bones. I normally prefer my fiction to be of a more literary and less sentimental bent. Nonetheless, I found that I enjoyed it very much. I love the idea of a heavenly afterlife, where our deceased love ones watch over and wait for us. I also enjoyed the author's handling of the ups and downs of long term relationships versus the reaffirming high of flirting and the intoxicating attraction of the new. Outside Wonderland is a sure bet for both bookclubs and young people.

I wanted to like this book. I had a hard time relating to the 3 siblings and their "poor me" attitudes which affected nearly every life choice. I didn't think that the parents watching from "there" really added anything to the book and their part seemed contrived. This book felt like it was written as a made-for-TV script - not too much depth so that it could appeal to a wide audience.

Outside Wonderland was a sort of Alice In Wonderland story. It follows the lives of three siblings: Alice, Griffin, and Dinah who lost their parents at a very young age. We root for them as each (now adult) struggles to discover what love really looks like, and what home means to them.

Like Alice, they ultimately discover that the answers most often lie within, and that what is already around us is often the very thing we are desperately searching for.

This would probably be a good book for book groups and might lead to some thoughtful discussions. I gave this an average rating because the images of the parents watching from someplace "not unlike heaven" was too predictable and sweet for my taste.

What happens to children when their parents die while they are young? The three young adults are still trying to overcome the loss they felt and find their own ways in the world. The older daughter, Alice, is an actress in New York and not interested in a lasting relationship. Diana, the younger daughter, has a quick fling with a man on a cruise and finds that she is pregnant. The brother, Griffin, is in a relationship with Theo which is in trouble for a number of reasons. The three of them find their place in the world and the happiness they have been looking for since their parents died. Meanwhile, the parents look on from heaven, wishing they could help but at the same time finding their own happiness. The use of the parental angels does not help the story move but does add some humor. One does want everything to turn out well but the ending seems to be too contrived.